Bucket List {3}

Great Wall of China

For many travelers, the Great Wall is on our Bucket List. As it should be, it is one impressive wall! It is one of those feats that can only have you in awe of the people of our planet.

I took on the massive amount of stairs just to reach the wall. My thinking was I’m only going to have this one chance to rock the stairs. Well, the stairs rocked me. I should not mention the amount of times I pull myself over to the side to take in some huge gulps of air and sips of water to slow down my lungs. Feeling like a lazy unhealthy American I could only gawk at the Chinese women in dresses and high heels hiking up and down these stairs. Shocked and feeling a sense of female pride after a lady waltz by in a wedding dress I swallowed a few more gulps of water and headed up.

Feeling like I was in the first Home Alone movie I wanted to say, “Harry, I reached the top!” Just look at that view!

It was a smoggy day, of course, the distance shots for me were mostly all crap. *shakes head*The wall is full of locals selling items ranging from ice cream to Budweiser. Honestly, after seeing a Subway at the base of the stairs I really was not shocked to see you could crack open a beer as you made your way along the wall. Forcing my jello legs to move was hard enough to manage without a beer in me. Roaming only this small section of nearly 4,500 miles of Wall I went from tower to tower enjoying the historic feelings radiating from the bricks. (Next time I hope to visit another section.)

Left —> Leaning out the wall but not so much as to fall onto old Mongolian land. I was able to get a good shot of the wall from the other side. I do believe it was one of my favorite pictures for the day. Right —> I quickly made my way through some of the towers due to being crammed full of people and smelling of pee. Lovely. Just lovely! Yet, I could not resist the charm of the window framing the lush nature and the lift up to the top.

The qualms of traveling on your own includes self shots. But there I am with my sweat soaked shirt, wind blown hair, & smog filled lungs ON the Great Wall of China!

Tips:

It is China, there are so many people so be prepared for photos full of people you don’t know.

Again, it is China so also be prepare for smog filled photos. As there are very few clear days.

Carry water! Especially if you decide to take the stairs.

If you are unable to make the hike there is a lift to the top for a small price.

Not wanting to tackle the stairs down, there is a bobsled to the bottom for a small price.

5 thoughts on “Bucket List {3}”

I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. I wish I took more. It was just so smoggy and people filled that I decided to just take it in w out the camera afterawhile. Focusing was time consuming and most were blurry anyway.